Long Beach State used a 13-5 run over the first 6:32 of the second half
and shot 50 percent from the floor in the period to rally back and defeat
host Cal State Fullerton, 77-65, in a Big West Conference women's basketball
contest on Thursday night at Titan Gym.
The Titans fell to 2-11 overall and 2-2 in league play. The 49ers improved
to 5-9 overall and earned their first conference victory of the season
in improving to 1-4 in the Big West.
Long Beach State had five players in double-figures, including a double-double
from Jayme Connors, who notched a season-high 18 points and grabbed 12
rebounds. Crystal McCutcheon (17), Petra Glaeser (14), Jennifer Baker
(11), and Candice Wilson (10) joined her in double digits.
Cal State Fullerton was led by Rochelle Ortega, who had 16 points and
five rebounds. Senior Tamara Quinn added 15 points and seven boards while
sophomore Amber Pruitt tallied 10 points off the bench.
After Quinn gave the Titans a three-point lead with a three-point bucket
at the buzzer to end the first half, Long Beach State came out firing
after the break, tying the score at 41-41 with 17:51 to go and scoring
the 12 of the next 15 points to build a nine-point lead with 12:23 to
play.
The Titans closed the gap to five points just two minutes later thanks
to six points by freshman Charlee Underwood and a basket by Ortega. However,
another 9-2 spurt by the 49ers gave them their biggest lead at 12 points
with 6:38 remaining and they never looked back.
Long Beach State used a 26-12 advantage on the boards in the second half
(51-28 overall) to help spark the comeback. The Titans, who shot 41 percent
from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, hit on just under 36 percent
from the field after the break.
A see-saw first half saw 10 ties and six lead changes as Fullerton held
a 37-34 lead after 20 minutes of play. With the score tied at 19, the
Titans exploded for a 9-2 run, giving them a seven-point lead with 6:33
remaining. The 49ers responded with a 12-6 run of their own over the next
6:03 to tie the score before Quinn's buzzer-beater as time expired in
the half.
The Titans, who hit 11 three-pointers in their victory over UC Riverside
on Jan. 10, could not duplicate the performance, mustering just five makes
from long range in 20 attempts.
Cal State Fullerton completes its three-game homestand on Saturday night
(Jan. 17) when the Titans play host to Orange County rival UC Irvine at
Titan Gym. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
